Unilateral claims about the demilitarization of the Aegean islands are unfounded and have been repeatedly rejected in their entirety. The status of the Greek islands of the Eastern Aegean is governed by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the 1936 Montreux Convention, and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty, to which Turkey is not even a contracting party.
These treaties leave no doubt about the status of the islands.
Greece’s defensive deployment is non-negotiable. The state of conflict in our wider neighborhood requires the country’s necessary defensive preparedness. The prevailing uncertainty and the risk of further escalation of the war call for prudence and composure, not for weak statements.